Wow, this book was excellent! It was the perfect combination of research and life experiences. Many of the concepts go hand in hand with the book The Self Driven Child (excellent book). I found Feiler's words so compelling. He covers the life span of families, which included aging parents, too children, too happy marriages. There is something in there for everyone, in every stage of life.
At the end of the book, the author emphasizes there is NOT one thing to make a happy family. So my family decided to try out one of the ideas to see if would benefit us. My family connected with the idea to make a family mission statement. When he first introduced the idea, I was NOT convinced! As he continued to discuss the idea, it slowly grew on me. He gave six guided lines; make it authentic, keep it concise, keep it positive, emphasize what the family should do, make the drafting of it a special occasion, and display it in a prominent place. So on a Tuesday evening, I convinced my husband that we should give it a go. It turned out to be very therapeutic. It helped define us from our extended family. At times, I felt we got swallowed up by our very large extended family. It was so nice to identify as our family of three and figure out what we actually believe.
Feiler concludes with a powerful statement that all you have to do is try to make a happier family and I could not agree more. A little effort can go a long way.
Comments